THE ROCK
From Mike O'Melia
There was a man who had a dream. He heard God speaking to him. "Press hard against the large rock". He did not understand this until the morning. He looked out from his hut and saw a huge rock that had rolled down the hillside.
He began to push and push, but he could not move the rock. Throughout the day he had several attempts, but he could not move it. Convinced that God had spoken to him, he made a mission of this task and for weeks he spent some hours every day but he could not budge the rock.
A traveler came by and asked him what he was doing. "God told me to move this rock" he replied. The traveler laughed and said, "You must be mistaken. You will never move a rock that large". Still the man continued his attempts to move the rock without success. Another traveler came by some weeks later and asked what he was doing.
"God told me to move this rock" he replied. The traveler scorned him and said, "Your God is stupid to ask such a thing. It is impossible. Give up". That night the man turned to God in his prayer. "Lord, I have done what you asked, but the task is impossible and it seems you have made fun of me. The travelers have mocked me for believing that I could move the rock as you asked me to do".
Then God spoke gently to him "My son. Look at your strong arms and legs; look at the rippling muscles in your back; look at the tanned hardness of your skin. Look at your increased strength. Look what has happened to you. You are a different man! I asked you to press against the rock and this you have done. I never told you to move it!"
Everything God asks us to do is for our own good. Even if at the time we do not see it.
The following was extracted from another version called the PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens) - with some minor editing.
God compassionatly
responded, "My child, when I asked you to
serve Me and you accepted, I told you your task was to push against that rock
with ALL your might, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that
I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with
your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But is that really so? Look
at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewy and brown, your
hands are calloused from constant pressure and your legs have become
massive and hard. Through opposition, you have grown much and your abilities
now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved that rock. But
your calling was to be obedient by pushing with ALL your strength and
to exercise your faith and trust in MY WISDOM. That you have done. Now I, my child, will move the rock."
In reality, whatever God had only asked us to PUSH and to trust in Him. If we do all that we can and rely on His strength (rather than our own), we will overcome the obstacles we face. It doesn't mean there won't be obstacles or challenges. There will always be; but we can trust that those very obstacles will lead us to being better and stronger than ever before. Let us enter into every challenge - each day, each moment in faith - trusting that if we follow our inner most calling (which is the Divine speaking with us) - we will be able to "move" the Rock.
One last word (sentence on this - again not mine hence it is in quote): "By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains but KNOW that IT IS STILL GOD who moves the mountains."
Peace
Syl
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